


Sakura's plants

by ba262



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Plants, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Acceptance, Self-Doubt, it's fluffier than the tags suggest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-06 01:30:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17930210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ba262/pseuds/ba262
Summary: Sakura was given Ukki-kun the day she was officially left behind by team 7





	1. The no name first plant

Sakura had her first plant just a few weeks after Ino came into her life.

One day, the blonde had excitedly told Sakura to close her eyes and hold out her hands, then she had shoved the small pot of plant into Sakura’s hands.

Sakura had put her heart into taking care of the little plant, following all of Ino’s instruction religiously. Everyday Sakura would talk to the plant, telling it about her daily life, sometimes even crying to it because bullies were still mean whether Ino was her friend or not.

The plant, just like Sakura and Ino, grew up healthily and beautifully. 

Then Sakura entered the Academy, her friendship with Ino broke, there was no time for ‘stupid plant’ anymore.

One day when Sakura came home, she noticed the plant now laid dead in the pot on her window sill. She buried it in her mother’s garden.

She didn’t have any other plant until Naruto left for his training.


	2. Ukki-kun, a present

A week after Naruto’s departure, Sakura woke up to a plant on her table with a note next to it.

Her first thought was that someone had somehow broken into her room when she was sleeping. Then she wondered if she was in any immediate danger. But she calmed herself down because why would anyone want to harm her when she was a nobody without her team. And besides, even if she was useless as a shinobi, her parents would be alarmed if someone trespassed into their house.

So decidedly calmer, she got out of bed and went downstairs. Her parents were already eating breakfast. They told her that Kakashi-sensei had dropped off the plant early morning.

Confusion rushed over Sakura. Kakashi-sensei had not made any effort to interact with her for the longest time and Sakura, afraid to bother him, hadn’t gone anywhere near her sensei. It was weird how out of nowhere, he would give her anything, much less a plant. 

She excused herself and went back to her room. She picked up the note first, which actually had nothing written on it. Just a blank piece of paper. Like a list of her shinobi skills. She placed it back on the table and inspected the plant instead.

On the rim of the pot was “Ukki-kun” written in, Sakura guessed, Kakashi-sensei’s handwriting. The plant seemed healthy enough and Sakura guessed she should just take care of it since it belonged to her now. 

Later, when she learned of the news that Kakashi-sensei had been taken off teaching duty and sent on a mission, Sakura understood. She was once again left behind. Maybe the plant was an apology, maybe it was a replacement, but nothing could change the fact that Sakura was truly alone now, without a team. 

In the next few days of laying around doing nothing, Sakura started talking to Ukki-kun. Ukki-kun lightly shook in agreement – maybe it was because of the breeze that passed by – when Sakura mentioned that she wanted to be more like the Fifth Hokage. So, the next day, after watering Ukki-kun, Sakura went to the Hokage office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi didn't know what to write on the note so he left it blank because he was emotionally stunted like that


	3. Ukki-kun, the most low-maintenance plant a shinobi could get

Sakura wrote letters to Kakashi-sensei once in a while. She didn’t say much but she would tell him about Ukki-kun and how well it was growing under her care. She always ended the letter with hoping Kakashi-sensei was as healthy as Ukki-kun.

In a way, Sakura was grateful for Kakashi-sensei. Ukki-kun was a surprisingly low-maintenance plant. Sakura thought the plant had the Will of Fire in it somehow. Perhaps she had borrowed some of that Will from Ukki-kun.

Sakura hoped that Ukki-kun would live for a very long time. She would make sure of that. Even during her time training under Tsunade-shishou’s tutelage, no matter how busy she was, Sakura always took the time to take care of Ukki-kun.

She would ask her parents to look after the plant whenever she had to leave for a mission. But between her father’s forgetfulness and her mother’s own garden, Sakura would find Ukki-kun in a sorry state after returning from missions. She needed to find new plant-sitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi seemed like a really busy shinobi so I think Ukki-kun needed to be the most low-maintenance plant there was to survive


	4. Ukki-kun's plant-sitters

She had mended her broken friendship with Ino, who now occasionally plant-sit and often gave Sakura pieces of advice as well as discount whenever Sakura bought something for Ukki-kun from Yamanaka flower shop.

Through Ukki-kun, Sakura also became friend with Shikamaru, and in extension, his family. Shikamaru, as a chunin, didn’t take as many missions with Team Asuma anymore, unless he was assigned as their team captain. Sakura, more often than not, would act as his replacement in the team. So Shikamaru became a reluctant plant-sitter when they had missions.

One day, when Sakura had come to Shikamaru’s house to pick up the plant, his mother had invited her in for afternoon tea. Finding no reason to reject the kind woman, Sakura had accepted. Shikamaru was playing shogi with his father when Sakura stepped into their living room. Shikamaru was surprised to see her but quickly realized what she was there for. Sakura filled in as Shikaku’s shogi opponent when Shikamaru went to retrieve Ukki-kun. She stayed for dinner that day, and many dinners after that.

Another time, Shikamaru had been the only person at home. He had asked her what kind of name was Ukki, to which Sakura smiled sadly when she said Kakashi-sensei named it. Shikamaru probably felt bad because the next moment, he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, hand scratching the back of his head while asking her if she would like to join him for a shogi match. Sakura didn’t know why, but she said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and Sakura would be great friends imo


	5. Ukki-kun, extraordinary support

Ukki-kun was Sakura’s main support when she trained for the chunin exam.

Team Asuma had asked her to join them, which was surprising. What surprised Sakura, even more, was the joint training session between team Asuma, team Guy and team Kurenai.

She knew that their sensei noticed her questioning look but none of them said anything. Sakura decided to push it to the back of her mind and focused on the training. She didn’t want to be a burden or left behind, again. 

In a way, Sakura felt like she was betraying team 7. Training with these teams brought Sakura a sense of enjoyment and achievement, which she rarely ever felt being with team 7. Every time she laid on the ground after a training session, exhausted but content, a rush of guilt would wash over her.

She would excuse herself, tripping over herself as she hastily tried to get home. She would collapse, hugging Ukki-kun close as she whispered her deepest secrets. 

Later, when she knew how the chunin exam was to be conducted, Sakura decided that she would not disappoint her team and her village again. Leaving Ukki-kun in her parents’ care, Sakura headed for Suna. 

When Sakura arrived home, freshly-minted chunin, Ukki-kun was waiting for her on her window sill. Sakura let herself cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like that Sakura's an emotional character  
> Also, I like 'Ukki-kun' more than 'Mr. Ukki', which is how it's translated into English. It felt more intimate and personal somehow


	6. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun

Not long after Sakura passed the chunin exam with Team Asuma, Ukki-kun had a friend.

They had thrown a party for all the teams who passed – team Asuma, team Guy, team Kurenai – at Chouji’s favourite BBQ joint.

Sitting in a private room of the restaurant, full of her friends, Sakura felt lost. Here she was, without her own team and Kakashi-sensei hadn’t been spotted for the longest time since he made Ukki-kun Sakura’s responsibility.

Nursing a cup of orange juice, Sakura simply observed. Shikamaru had come, obviously to congratulate his friends and teammates – because no matter if he was on the team or not, Ino-Shika-Chou trio could never be separated, and Sakura had to convince herself numerous times that she wasn’t intruding whenever she was on the team instead of Shikamaru.

Sakura watched the effortless interaction between them, and her heart throbbed painfully in her ribcage. It was the same with the other teams and Sakura wanted to weep. It felt wrong to watch them like this, like she was intruding, like she didn’t belong there.

In true shinobi style, Sakura slipped to the bathroom and locked herself inside a stall. She wanted to cry but all that came out was dried sobs. With each sob, she asked herself. She wondered what would have become of team 7, what could have been, if they could have come to that degree of intimacy and actually become each other’s second family. Why couldn't team 7 be happy?

A dark feeling crept up her spine and Sakura had to stop herself from thinking. Instead, she reminded herself to breathe, in and out, deeply, softly. She went back to the party.

Sakura brushed off the concerned looks and smiled, however fake it was. The rest of the party went by quickly. Sakura laughed, a real one this time, with the rest of them as Chouji burped with a dreamy look in his face.

Then something in the air shifted, Sakura felt their attention on her. Like so many years ago, when things were much simpler, Ino told her to close her eyes and hold out her hands. Sakura couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on her face when she did as Ino told.

She opened her eyes to the sight of Ukka-kun, name written on the rim of the pot, on her hands. Sakura tackled Ino in a wet hug, demanding to know what kind of name was Ukka. Ino’s laugh rang in her ears as Tenten explained that Shikamaru thought of the name and the rest of them agreed that it was perfect. Behind everyone’s laughter, Sakura could hear Shikamaru mumbling ‘troublesome’ in the background.

That night, Sakura set Ukka-kun next to Ukki-kun on her window sill and said goodnight to both of them. It was her most peaceful sleep in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru jokingly said 'Ukka' and now it will haunt him for the rest of his life  
> Sakura still missed team 7 very much even if she'd made new friends


	7. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun, the best support system

The night of the day Naruto returned, Sakura broke all over again.

With Naruto’s comeback, it seemed like all Sakura had been too scared to face before was crashing down on her, waves after waves. So, Sakura did the only thing that had ever comforted her, she cried her heart out to Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun.

It didn’t last long though. The presence of Ukka-kun reminded Sakura of who she had become, what she had accomplished, the friends she had made who would always have her back.

She went to sleep that night, eyes buffy but lips smiling.

Many occasions after that, Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun had acted as Sakura’s main source of comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's back and Sakura's happy but handling the emotional stress when a person who's been out of your life for more than 2 years just suddenly waltzed right back in is difficult okay  
> Sakura cries a lot because her emotions are very strong and aren't repressed :)


	8. Yamato-taichou, a plant?

Maybe it was because of Yamato-taichou’s ability to use wood release, Sakura liked him from the moment she saw him.

‘Like’ didn’t seem like the right word to describe what Sakura felt though. It was more like a good first impression, a positive feeling.

Maybe Sakura had been spending too much time with Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun that it was affecting how she judged people.

But it was okay. Sakura had long ago decided that she would trust Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun with her life decisions. Besides, Yamato-taichou hadn’t let Sakura down yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, if I write a ship for this AU, it would be Yamato and Sakura  
> 


	9. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun, living, thriving

After Pain’s attack, Sakura spent days and nights at Tsunade’s side.

Her parents were alive and, along with everyone, doing their best to rebuild the village. There were too many things going on for her to be distracted. Nothing could have survived the destruction.

Despite it all, Sakura still found herself thinking about Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun. On a sleepless night, Sakura walked on the path leading to the site where her house once was.

Under the moonlight, Sakura searched. She dug through the rubbles, looking for the remaining pieces of Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun. She searched for her past, her present, looked for herself.

And like a miracle, the two plants stood under layers of rubbles, pots broken but still living. Relief washed through her whole body and only then did Sakura realize how stressed she had been the last few days.

As she sat next to Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun, Sakura smiled so big it hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A miraculous survival story :)  
> I'm uploading this fic at my friend's place cause I still don't have internet yay


	10. Ukki-kun, Ukka-kun and a new family

Sakura didn’t buy new pots for Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun. Instead, she planted them in the garden at the newly-rebuilt hospital.

When she walked along the corridor, she could see them bathing in the sunlight. Sometimes when she needed to refuel, she would sit next to the flower bed where Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun were and stuffed herself with food.

The people in the hospital started to notice the special attention Sakura gave the plants. Around the hospital, people referred to them as Sakura-sensei’s plants. Sakura decided it was time to introduce Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun. 

Sakura made introduction board for the plants. It was simple with only their name, ‘Ukki-kun’ in pink and ‘Ukka-kun’ in green.

The children in the hospital loved Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun. More often than not, when Sakura visited the plants, children would flock around them, telling her, as well as the plants, about their day. 

One day, a child pointed at a flower near Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun and proudly told Sakura that ‘Nana-chan’ was her new friend. Sakura said hello to Nana-chan under the child’s sparkling eyes.

Since then, children started naming plants and flowers, introducing them to Sakura every day. Little name boards started popping up next to the plants and flowers.

Sakura encouraged not only the children but also other people in the hospital, patients and staff alike, to name a plant or flower of their own. She also asked permission for people to grow their plants, listing help from Ino to bring in different choices for them.

Sakura thought something like this was essential. It was giving everyone joy and hope, something desperately needed around the hospital, especially with the threat of war in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's ignore Danzo and focus on the plants  
> You can assume everything I don't write is the same as canon I guess


	11. Kakashi-sensei, welcome back

Kakashi came to visit her in the hospital one day.

It was the end of her night shift and exhasted, Sakura had decided to take a rest with Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun before making her way home. Kakashi had emerged from the shadow and as tired as she was, Sakura already sensed his chakra the moment he stepped into hospital ground. 

He sat down next to her and reached out his hand to touch Ukki-kun. He was hesitant at first, hand hanging in mid-air like he was afraid of destroying the plant but in the end, his fingers petted Ukki-kun lightly.

Then he petted Sakura’s head, as light as he had with Ukki-kun, even more careful if Sakura wasn’t imagining it. She beamed at him through tears and Kakashi smiled back.

Kakashi asked her about Ukka-kun. Sakura felt as though he was asking more than that. It was like he was asking permission to re-enter her life, to be a part of her inner circle again.

Sakura decided to tell him, everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe it took Kakashi until the end of Shippuden to actually admit that he loved team 7


	12. War's no place for Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun

War came. Sakura left for the battlefield.

She didn’t have the chance to bid Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun farewell. But she knew everything she left behind, it was to protect them – her parents, her hospital, her village, Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun and Nana-chan and all the hope and dream of her beloved people.

War finished. Sakura couldn’t leave the battlefield.

There were too many people to heal, not including the two idiots who had to go and blow each other’s arm off. Even when Konoha shinobi started going back, troop by troop, Sakura stayed.

She travelled from battlefield to battlefield, healing the wounded and treating the sick. She shed tears for the one she couldn’t save and prayed for the one in a coma still. After all that they had been through, it was the least she could do for all these courageous heroes. All of them were.

Her last stop was the battlefield at Land of Lighting where the injured kept being rushed in and Sakura’s hands were stained red day after day. 

A week after the last Konoha shinobi left Land of Lighting, Sakura packed her bag. The injured had all been treated, the last of them had started their trip home a day before her.

She was among the last group of shinobi to leave, nodding her head goodbye at everyone on her way.

She didn't go back to Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The actual 4th Shinobi War happened in 2 days lol


	13. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun, wait for me

Sakura didn’t know what made her do it, but she went to the Valley of the End.

When she closed her eyes, she saw Naruto and Sasuke laying there, bleeding out at the back of her eyelids. She wondered what would have happened if she was also caught inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Would they still be alive?

Then she wondered what she would have dreamt about.

Sakura opened her eyes. She laid down where Kakashi was that day. For the first time in forever, Sakura just watched the cloud passed by and let herself breathe.

It was the end, everything was done. How ironic it was that she only realized it when she was at Valley of the End. Maybe it was the end for her too. 

Maybe that was why it felt so empty.

For the longest time, she had been chasing after them, never being able to touch even their shadow. She had just been trying her best to catch up, to be able to stand next to them as an equal. 

She was a part of team 7. So were they.

She was an apprentice of a Sannin. So were they.

She was an apprentice of a Hokage. Soon they would be too. 

They made a name for themselves, whether it was famous or infamous.

At the end of it all, who was she? 

Sakura touched the diamond on her forehead. It was cold to her touch. Sakura didn’t even have the tears to cry anymore.

She laid there, among the rubble of the Valley of the End.

When she finally sat up, something caught her eyes. Sakura stared at the plant and something inside her made sense again.

She still had her family and friends waiting for her back home. Her hospital and her patients would surely miss her after such a long time. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun wouldn’t mind if she brought back a new friend for them.

She wasn’t them and that was okay.

She managed to protect her precious people, as well as their hope and dream.

She had saved a lot of people, healed even more. 

She had successfully taken care of two little plants and they were awaiting her comeback.

She was Sakura. And everything made sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that Sakura’s always compared to Naruto, Sasuke, Tsunade and not her own achievement so somehow she always ends up being the weak one or not good enough  
> But yeah, Sakura's fine the way she is and I'm proud of her development


	14. Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun and Tani-kun

The day Sakura walked through Konoha gate, no one was there to welcome her.

She headed straight to the Hokage office to report. Tsunade-shishou was sitting at the Hokage table with Kakashi-sensei standing to her left. Sakura knew it would soon change and Kakashi-sensei would be the one sitting in that chair.

They smiled at her when she said she was back. For good measure, Sakura hugged both of them, her laughter ringing throughout the Hokage office.

Her next destination was the hospital, mainly the garden. No one was in the garden. All the more time and peace for her to reunite with her plants.

Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun looked so healthy under the sunlight, droplets of dews stuck to the end of some leaves. Sakura planted Tani-kun next to them, as well as added a new name on the introduction board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Tani' means 'valley' in Japanese  
> 


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, Sakura was back in the hospital. It was also the day Naruto finally met the plant trio. 

They had been together all morning, Sakura assisted in fitting Naruto with his new prosthetics arm. Then, of course, Naruto thought it was a great idea to test his new arm by having lunch. 

He had almost dragged her to Ichiraku ramen, but a reminder that Sakura still had an afternoon shift at the hospital and a promise to have dinner at Ichiraku later, Naruto settled for eating lunch in the hospital garden.

As much as Sakura wanted to talk and catch up with Naruto, when they stepped into the garden, children flocked around them. Sakura had a suspicion that they had been waiting there since hearing Naruto being in the hospital to meet him.

Sakura managed to lead them all to the bench near the flowers bed where the plant trio was before the children bombarded, mainly, Naruto with questions. It was, in a way, funny, albeit a bit gross, to see Naruto trying to answer every question while still stuffing himself with food.

After a while, the children moved on to telling stories. Sakura snorted when she caught Naruto’s relief sigh. They started introducing Naruto to their plant and flower friends, which led to what started it all, Ukki-kun and Ukka-kun.

It seemed like only then did the children notice the new addition of Tani-kun. All of them aimed their curious eyes at Sakura. Raising her hands in mock surrender, Sakura introduced Tani-kun to them and didn’t miss Naruto’s choking on his food when she said she had got Taki-kun from Valley of the End.

The children didn’t ask any more question, seemingly content, but Sakura knew Naruto wasn’t. For the rest of the lunch, she could feel Naruto vibrate next to her, wanting to know more. They were too busy eating and entertaining the children to talk though.

Naruto didn’t look very happy when Sakura left for her afternoon shift but lighted up when Sakura reminded him of their dinner at Ichiraku. 

___

Ichiraku was rebuilt bigger and better, no longer the small shop before. But watching Naruto flopping down at a seat at the counter, loudly ordering his favourite ramen, Sakura was grateful that something never really changed.

When Naruto was half-way through with his second bowl, Sakura began. She didn’t tell him about Tani-kun right away. She started with Ukki-kun, then Ukka-kun and finally Tani-kun. Naruto still slurped his noodle, still asked for another bowl of ramen but not even at one point did he interrupt her. Sakura beamed at him because things always seemed to change for the better as long as it concerned Naruto.

Sakura told him everything because she wanted, needed, the precious people in her life to know about her precious things.

She pulled Naruto into a bone-crushing hug when he appeared at her office in the hospital the next day, scratching his head with a sheepish smile as he shyly held out a plant and asked her where he could put Ramen-chan. Ignoring his terrible name choice, she helped him plant Ramen-chan next to Ukki-kun, Ukka-kun and Tani-kun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!  
> Thank you for sticking until the end <3


End file.
